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Staff IconPortugal. The Man - Devil Say I, I Say Air (Cover Artwork)

Portugal. The Man

Devil Say I, I Say Air (2006)
Fearless Records

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Contributed by: Brian
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Published on August 29th 2006


It seems like just yesterday that Portugal. The Man delivered their first full-length, Waiter: "You Vultures!" -- but that's probably because the Fearless debut did just come out 7 months ago. Though this could be why their new EP, Devil Say I, I Say Air, is digital-only. And while a little paltry, it's sure to please those who found Waiter at all enjoyable, as it's got that same weird mix of indie pop, modern emo and post-punk -- sort of the halfway point between Neon Blonde and Gatsbys American Dream.

First on the release is "AKA M80 the Wolf," one of the standouts on Waiter. It's a nice, understated way to bring the listener into the picture. Following it is the first of 2 brand new songs, "The Pines." It's solid for sure, churning slow, methodical keyboard, and slightly cheesy guitar licks, with vocalist John Gourley surely exercising those high pitches in his voice. The one misstep is the cringeworthy vocal effect used for the last line of the song, ending things in a pretty sour manner. "The Devil" relies on a familiar guitar tone, the underlying minimal chord progression definitely sounding like it's been used before -- and while it's similar to "Stables & Chairs" and "Waiter" (both off Waiter), a quick scanning of that album reveals it's a new creation, oddly. It's not a bad song, but due to this and the band's liberal chanting of "bring it back, mothafucka," it just sounds like they've already written this song before. Ending things is a dance remix of "How the Leopard Got Its Spots," which doesn't add much to it, but doesn't quite ruin the song either.

Anyone outside of Portugal. The Man's hardcore fanbase probably won't get much out of Devil Say I, I Say Air, but for the already initiated, it's got some stuff sure to please.

STREAM
AKA M80 the Wolf
The Pines




People who liked this also liked:
Fugazi - Repeater + 3 SongsMotion City Soundtrack - I Am The Movie [reissue]The Mars Volta - De-Loused In The ComatoriumMinus The Bear - Highly Refined PiratesAt The Drive-In - VayaEngine Down - Engine DownCirca Survive - The Inuit SessionsPortugal. The Man - Waiter: 'You Vultures!'Murder by Death - In Bocca al LupoThe Mars Volta - Amputechture

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    Allular (September 2, 2006)

    Saw these guys doing an acoustic set with mewithoutYou. It was actually really cool, they used a lot of the percussionists from the Psalters. Definitely gave me much more respect for them pulling off something like that.

    Kursk (August 30, 2006)

    is it just me or did this band het huge all of a sudden? It seems like I've been seeing commercials for them on Fuse a lot whenever I actually watch it. What I've heard isn't bad, but the new Gatsby's American Dream blows this shit away.

    Anonymous (August 29, 2006)

    they already released two of the unreleased tracks on a seven inch. they were both b-sides.

    Anonymous (August 29, 2006)

    This album cover looks like a yeast infection :(

    ILOVESCOTT (August 29, 2006)

    APE, check out " Waiter: "You Vultures!"

    FatTony (August 29, 2006)

    Nic from GAD sang on one of the tracks from P.TM's full-length. Other than that, there's not a whole lot of similarities between the two bands, musically speaking.

    Anyway, I won't be checking this out because I hate iTunes (as well as digital-only releases). I'll just wait for their next full-length.

    almostpunkenough (August 29, 2006)

    i don't get the GAD comparo's with these dudes. Gatsby is great. this... not at all.

    Anonymous (August 29, 2006)

    How similar is this to Anatomy of a Ghost??

    I think these guys came from there...

    GlassPipeMurder (August 29, 2006)

    horrible; unlistenable. review is good though.

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